Lytton's New K-9 Unit
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: The Lytton Police Force acquires its own K-9 force to assist the human officers in fighting crime in their fair little city. Sonny Bonds is made a K-9 cop, and is stuck with the worst possible partner for the job. Or is she? Only time will tell.


**A/N:** This is a one-shot that explores the notion of the Lytton Police Department acquiring its own K-9 force. In the future, I may, _possibly,_ do a sequel, maybe a chaptered one, which will show Sonny and Bomber in action, and possibly some of the other K-9 Cops on the force.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Police Quest_ or any of its characters. Jim Walls, Daryl F. Gates, and Sierra On-Line do. I'm not making money off of this, either; it's just a friendly story for a friendly fan fiction website.

* * *

_**Lytton's New K-9 Unit**_

"Say, Sonny, tell me again," said Steve Jones as he and Sonny Bonds were on their way to the briefing room at the Lytton Police Department, "What's the deal with this special meeting the Chief is calling us all here for? What is he going to say?"

"I'm not sure, exactly," Sonny replied, "I think somebody said there was a rumor that the police force was getting a new weapon for law enforcement in our fair city."

"Hmm," said Keith Robinson, "I hope that doesn't mean he's replacing us with Robocops or something."

Sonny laughed. "No, I don't think we're that advanced in law enforcement technology yet, Keith," he said, "And I don't think we're being replaced at all. We're just getting some kind of new help with doing our job as cops."

"Well, I hope that it's a new kind of pistol, or rifle," said Steve, "because my own doesn't seem to fire as well as it should. A suspect I had to fire at got away because I missed him by a long shot. And Sgt. Dooley had the nerve to tell me that it was _my_ fault! I don't want to go through _that_ ever again!"

"Don't worry, Steve," said Sonny good-naturedly, "the Sergeant's bark is usually worse than his bite."

"I hope that's true about the Chief, too," remarked Keith.

In the briefing room, almost all the police officers had been ordered to this meeting, and so many desks had been put in the room for the officers. Sonny could see that all the Narcotics, Burglary, and Homicide detectives were in the room with the uniforms. He was amazed there was so much room for all of them, but then again, the Lytton Police Department always was a small police force. Chief of Police, Morton Whipplestick entered the room just after everyone had found their seats and stood behind the podium in the front.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," the Chief started the briefing, "I trust you all had a pleasant weekend."

A few murmurs rose, but mostly, everyone was politely quiet.

"Good," he said. "Now, I have called you all here today because Police Commissioner Hacker and I have reached an agreement with the local law enforcement officials. Lytton's crime rate continues to endure, just as it does in almost any other city in the world, and the wave of murders and drug dealings, in particular, are becoming harder to weed out and stifle. That is why the police force of our fair city has come up with a solution to help you boys and girls fulfill your duties as police officers. Starting today, the Lytton Police Department is putting to use this city's first Police K-9 Unit."

A lot of officers and detectives blinked at this. Steve and Keith looked like they were stifling a couple of whistles. Sonny thought to himself, "Well, I guess a superior officer's bark really _is _worse than his bite. I always wondered if the day would come."

Whipplestick continued after the surprise had died down. "Yes, you heard me right. The Lytton Police Department is getting its own police dogs assigned to the force. Some of you will be temporarily transferred to the new rank of K-9 Cop, and later, others will be assigned in your place. These dogs are being trained to make searches for criminal evidence, particularly drug searches, defend their handlers, and help apprehend felony suspects, though later they may be trained for other uses as well. One K-9 is presently being trained to sniff out bombs, and the others shall be trained in that, too. The full mission of this unit is to support department field and detective operations in the search of outstanding felony suspects, misdemeanor suspects armed with a firearm, lost and missing persons, and evidence. Because of the small size of this city and its police force, we are calling this small K-9 Unit, simply, the 'K-9 Squad,' and just like any human officer injured or killed in the line of duty receives the Medal of Valor, if a K-9 should be hurt or killed in the line of duty, he/she shall be the recipient of the Liberty Award that the Los Angeles Police Department also uses."

More murmurs rose among the assembled officers. Some of them were wondering which ones of them were going to get police dogs aloud. The Chief gestured for silence and continued.

"The K-9 Squad will be supervised by a Lieutenant Officer-in-Charge, and the elected officer is former Narcotics Lieutenant James Morgan. It will also be supervised by three K-9 Sergeants, John Dooley, Robert Hartman, and Stacy Miles, a K-9 Chief Trainer, Jim Pierson, and seven police officers as K-9 handlers. The handlers, for now, are: James Simpson, Laura Gomez, Steve Jones, Joe Walters, Jack Cobb, Willy Jerome, and Sonny Bonds."

Sonny started at the sound of his name. _He was going to be a K-9 handler for a while? Wow! First he gets back his old girlfriend, Marie Wilkans, after their relationship had been estranged for so long, then the two of them get married, then the Bains family is defeated for good, and now he had a police dog on his hands_! He felt like he had just won the lottery.

"Allow me to show you the dogs we are using for the job, and which one will be your partner for each of you," said Whipplestick. He waved his hand, and a group of temporary dog handlers brought in the dogs for them to say hello to. Lt. Morgan, Trainer Pierson, and the K-9 Sergeants also stepped in with their dogs.

"These K-9's each have their own badge and ID," explained Whipplestick, "because a few progressive thinking individuals in law enforcement thought it would make the dogs feel more like real police officers, as well as to possibly foster a growing fellowship between them and their human handlers. Lt. Morgan has a doughty German Shepherd named 'Pepsi' as his K-9 unit." He gestured to each dog as he read off their names and their handlers. Some of the officers chuckled at the name "Pepsi," but Whipplestick silenced them, and explained that she was called that because she was trained to sniff out the drug coke, with the same name as Pepsi's biggest soda rival, Coke. "Trainer Jim Pierson has a male German Shepherd named 'Fullback,' and the Sergeants' dogs are as follows: Sergeant Dooley has 'Pepper,' Sergeant Hartman has 'Salty,' and Sergeant Miles has 'Climber.' As you can see, all of them are German Shepherds, too." He also pointed out that Pepper was female, and Salty and Climber were male.

"And now is the time to assign our new K-9 Officers their units," he said next. "James Simpson, your K-9 will be this male Belgian Malinois, 'Harley.'" James Simpson stepped forward to collect his new dog. "Laura Gomez, your dog is this female Doberman Pinscher, 'Dot.'" And so on. Steve Jones got a female German Shepherd named "Tracker." Joe Walters, good old Joe Walters, got a male Bloodhound named "Monkey." Jack Cobb got a male German Shepherd named "Joust." Willy Jerome received a male Dutch Shepherd named "Rex."

Sonny was anticipating his own dog. He hoped that he could have some better luck with the kind of equipment he was normally given individually.

"And finally," said the Chief, "Sonny Bonds shall have this female Beagle named 'Bomber.'"

Sonny stared as a cute-looking Beagle was shown off for him to claim. Almost mechanically, he went forward to claim "Bomber," blushing a little. "Great," he thought to himself, "Again I get treated like an underdog. First I always get the squelchy hand-held radio, then I'm condemned to use the patrol car with the worst paint job all the time, and now? Now, of all the kinds of dogs I could be assigned to, I get a _girl Beagle! Oh, the irony of it all!"_

Whipplestick was explaining each K-9's function as an officer, and Sonny almost forgot to listen when the Chief told him that Bomber was trained to sniff out drugs and locate bombs, as well as follow the scent of the more odoriferous criminals in Lytton. Sonny nodded, and looked down at the small police dog. She gave him a cutesy-poo look that seemed to say, "Well? Aren't you going to be my friend and my master, sir?" He noticed Keith and a few other officers snickering at him and his dog. Thankfully, so did the Chief, and he rebuked them into being quiet.

"The K-9 cops and their dogs are not on-duty together today," said Whipplestick, "but soon, you will be training with your dogs, on department ground as well as on the streets and in 911 calls. In the meantime, bond with your new companions as best you can, and be ready to serve with them, beginning tomorrow. That is all. Thank you for your attention."

As the officers filed in an orderly way out of the briefing room, some of the officers and detectives complimented the dogs that officers like Laura Gomez, Joe Walters, and Willy Jerome got, among others. Keith led a couple of officers at sniggering at little Bomber and Sonny. Of course, Bomber wasn't _that_ little, but she _was_ when compared to most of the other K-9's.

"Hey, look at that," said Keith, "Sonny got the cute dog."

"Yeah," said another officer, "He always gets the underdogs, get it?"

The three laughed. Bomber whimpered innocently.

"Guys," said an annoyed Sonny, trying to ignore them, "I don't know why I got this dog out of all of them, but I am not jinxed with bad luck, like you think I am. Now leave me alone."

"Okay, Sonny," said Keith. But as Sonny walked away with his dog, he was aware that Keith and his friends were howling like little Beagle puppies. He didn't fail to notice that it probably wasn't long ago that Bomber was a puppy herself.

* * *

He took the dog home with him that night. He reluctantly showed her off to his wife, Marie, who found Bomber to be delightful.

"Aw, Sonny," said Marie, "We're blessed to have such a cute K-9 in our house, not to mention such an ideal partner for you in your line of work!"

"Please, don't say that, Marie!" said Sonny. "You know how I'm always treated as the lowliest cop on the Lytton Police Force, except when I've done something outstanding, like defeating the Death Angel and his insane brother."

"And that's what makes you the most special of all the officers on the force," smiled Marie, "It's always the most humbled who are, in the end, the most exalted. It says so in the Bible. Jesus said it."

"Yes, I know, Marie," said Sonny patiently, "It's just that, they always give me the worst equipment to work with on the job, even now, after I've won such fame. A squeaky radio, a squad car with a bad paint job, and now a Beagle as a K-9 partner. What's next?"

Marie hugged him romantically. "What's next," she said in his ear, "is that we make little Bomber here feel welcome with us, and that we bond with him, especially you; how else are you two going to work as a team? Then you're going out there with her, and you're going to show Lytton yet again that you're the best cop they've got."

Sonny grinned, despite himself. Marie had a way of talking him into anything. "All right, Marie. I'll do my best."

Marie kissed him. "That's all I ask," she said. "Now, let's get to know your little puppy, shall we?"

Sonny sat down and gave Bomber a nice petting on the back. "So, how are you doing, Bomber?" he asked, not sure what else to say.

Bomber wagged her tail enthusiastically and licked Sonny's face. Then she sniffed him all over, as if she was already looking for evidence of a crime.

"What's she doing, Sonny?" asked Marie.

Sonny laughed. "I think that even after a shower at the station, I smell like crime to her. Maybe she's self-training for her job as a K-9. Or maybe she just thinks that smelling me all over will make it easy for her to remember my scent."

"Yes, I think you're right, Sonny," said Marie. "She's certainly cute for a K-9 dog. Here, I noticed that you brought home some dog food. I'll prepare some for her tonight, and then I'll prepare a kennel for her in our bedroom."

"Why not in the laundry room?" Sonny asked her.

Her eyes twinkled. "She's a crime-fighting dog, Sonny. We'll want to be as safe from crooks as you and she will make other people feel, so she can watch over us as we sleep. Besides, the closer she's allowed to be to us, the more welcome she'll feel here."

Sonny saw her point. "Okay," he said, "Though I hope you make a few exceptions on nights when we like to get close with each other."

Marie looked abashed. "You think I wouldn't do that, Sonny Bonds?" she exclaimed. "Of course I will. Even Bomber can't see _everything_ we do."

"Thank you, Marie," said Sonny, "I knew I could count on you."

They kissed again. Bomber woofed in apparent delight.


End file.
